Legend of Zelda act 1
by C McD
Summary: The first part of a compilation of Zelda plots, structures, and locations.


THE BEGINNING:

"The Remainder of Eternity"

"In the beginning - according to the ancient Hylian scrolls – before all life had began, even before the world had formed, three special golden goddesses were chosen and granted an extraordinary task. With this task in mind they descended upon the chaotic, unsculpted land of Hyrule. They were Din - the goddess of power - Nayru - the goddess of Wisdom - and Farore - the Goddess of Courage. Din, with her strong flaming arms, cultivated the land to create the Earth and dyed the mountains red with fire. Nayru poured her wisdom onto the Earth to give the spirit of Law to the world along with her vast knowledge of science and wizardry. Farore's rich soul, through justice and vigor, created all life forms who would uphold the law, from the animals that crawl the lands and the fish that swim the seas to the birds that soar the skies.

"After they had finished their work, these three great goddesses returned to the heavens, leaving behind a symbol of their strength – the sacred, much fabled, golden Triforce, which, all in its own, holds great, insurmountable power. A power that is a concentrated portion of the essence of the gods. A power to guide the intelligent life of the world. A power to fulfill any dreams or desires or grant any wish. Although the Triforce itself is inanimate, and can not judge between good and evil, it had the power to bestow three titles upon the person(s) who received its powers: 'The Forger of Strength', 'The Keeper of Knowledge', and the 'Juror of Courage'. Therefore, the gods placed it in an alternate world, similar to ours, but of divine being. Where the Triforce resided became known as the "Sacred Land".

"Since then, the Triforce has become the basis for all of Hyrule's providence. From it's hiding place in this so-called 'Golden Land' where the gods placed it, the Triforce beckoned people from the all over the entire world to seek out its magnificence, in the hope that someone worthy of these titles would find it and use the power granted for the better of all who occupy the lands. The descendants of those original people who came to inhabit, and form, the kingdom of Hyrule eventually migrated and settled in various other parts of the world where they passed on their knowledge and magical wisdom to all people who were willed enough to devote their time to such a virtuous discipline. But, in its passing, the lore was often distorted or obscured in the mists of time or lost altogether for what some call 'the remainder of eternity'...

"If it were only a symbol of the gods, the Triforce would be covered by many writings and referenced in many songs. But a verse from the collection of Hylian legend and lore, known as the Book of Mudora, made the Triforce inconceivably more desirable, from those who dedicated their lives to claiming it's righteous glory to ones who hadn't any aspiration for the much sought after relics:

'In a Realm Beyond Sight,

The sky shines gold, not blue

There, the Triforce's Might

Makes mortal dreams come true'

"Many aggressively searched for the wishes and great power granted by the Triforce, but no one, not even the Hylian sages, keepers of much important - and dangerous - knowledge, were sure of its location; the knowledge had been lost over time. Some say the Triforce lay under the desert, others say that it rests in the cemetery in the shadow of Death Mountain, but no one ever found it. That yearning for the Triforce soon turned into a lust for power, which in turn led to the spilling of blood. Soon the only motive left among those searching for the Triforce was pure greed.

"Then one day, as if by fate, a gate to the Golden Land of the Triforce was opened by an unknown group of beings skilled in the black arts. This land was like no other. In the gathering twilight, the Triforce shone from its resting place high above the world. In a long running battle, the leader of the group fought his way past his followers in his lust for the Golden Power. After vanquishing his own comrades, the leader stood triumphant over the Triforce and grasped it with his bloodstained hands. He heard a whispered voice: 'If thou hast a strong desire or dream, wish for it…' and in reply, the roaring laughter of the brigand leader echoed across time and space and even reached the far-off land of Hyrule. The name of this king of darkness is many, but it simply known as 'The Master of Darkness'…

According to the legend, if the discoverer of the Triforce has a balance within them self of power, wisdom, and courage, they will receive the Triforce as a whole. If they are unbalanced or without stability, they will receive the part of the Triforce which best represents the characteristics that they most demonstrate, live, or are filled with. The remaining pieces then seek out hosts of their own who best qualify for that which they deem satisfying.

"Within Hyrule, there are many Hylian buildings which are mentioned repeatedly in the legends. These buildings, which now lie in ruin, pale shadows of their former splendor, are closely tied to the Triforce. Some were sanctuaries where we Hylians could pray to the gods. Some were temples for those of wisdom to learn and pass on knowledge. Some were even said to house the Triforce itself… It is rumored among many that the Temple of Time, in the northeast part of town, itself houses a gateway to the Sacred Realm, but many things are said and many things are theoried over many years, which simply becomes hearsay and twisted truths of former certainty…

"That is all said to be purely myth and folklore, passed down through the ages since the dawn of our kind. Some also say that it is a thing to come, this 'Master of Darkness', but I say otherwise, my dear child, for you are the most precious thing in this entire world, and not a man - or man of any other kind - can take that way…" she said as she finished tucking him in, his eyes already closed half-way.

"Some believe that the gods and goddesses walk amongst us, even as we speak. And some say that we Hylians used to have much bigger ears so that we could hear the voices of the Gods calling to us or guiding us through our existence, but over time our ears have shrunk for their articulations ceased to come, only to never be heard again… But I will tell you this: Nothing is more holy than a child, my son…"

He faintly smiled a much-exhausted smile as he clutched his stuffed toy bear ever so tight to his chest.

"You will forever be my bright, shining star, lost from the heavens, only to find his way into my arms…" Her golden hair hung just above his face, tickling his the tip of his nose, then disappeared as his eyes shut completely. "I will always be here for you, my darling," she said as she ran her smooth hand across his young face. "I love you." Her lips, which gently pressed against his forehead, stole all the hardships of a young child's life away and locked them tightly in an unreachable vault, only for them to die alone. She pulled back and sat with her arm over him, holding her body up as she gazed into his closed eyes. "Good night, Link…"

THE BEGINNING:

"The Mask, the Killer Bees, and the Skull Kid"

"Link!"

Link rubbed his eyes.

"LINK!" Mena was calling for him from outside his window.

"What?" he said as he sat up, let his eyes adjust to the sunlight that poured in through his bedroom window, then made his way over to the very same window where he raised up onto the tips of his toes to come eye to eye with Mena for sporadic, brief moments as she jumped up and down from the other side as if she were forcing wings to sprout from her ankles.

"Come on! Let's go!"

He couldn't believe that it had slipped his mind! But only for an instant… "Okay, I'll be right out!" he said as he had already begun to turn around to quickly change his clothes. As he was still slipping on his leggings he was already through the hall and into the kitchen/dining area/den. "Bye, grampa!" Link exclaimed as he hopped, with only one leg through his pants, passed his grandfather, who was sitting on a wooden easy chair.

"You have fun, son," grandpa said with a smile.

The sun hung high above the town. A town like any other.

Almost.

It was a perfect day, as it normally was. And as usual, the marketplace was bustling with commoners and travelers alike. Folks from all over would come to this great land of beauty to shop/trade goods, visit the castle of the great king, or just bask in the town's splendor. Myriads of races/colors/species congregated in total harmony with one another. Wooden carts lined the roads leading to the front gate of the castle grounds. Vendors behind each cart shouted out the quality of their goods, exchanged money, and traded this for that in an attempt to peddle their wares. Even in a place as pristine as this, one still has to earn a decent living. Behind each vendor a building stood, housing other various sorts of businesses, bars, auction houses, pictograph shops, schools, etc. A steady balance is always in motion, stabilizing all that could - but never did - go wrong. Perfect…

Mena chased Link as they tore through the crowd of "people". Her long golden blonde hair flowed behind her, taking a cue from Link's (albeit his being much shorter), glistening in the afternoon sun, as her pink dressed followed her, twisting every which way as though it had its own agenda or a destination all its own. Smiles beamed from both their faces. Different vendors and townsfolk smiled and waved to them as they ran passed. Link gradually began to gain distance ahead of Mena. His blue shirt became lost in the sea of people. It didn't matter. They both had the same destination: the Happy Mask Trader's cart.

Every month on the same day, the owner/proprietor of the "quality establishment of quality goods", as he would say, put out the new masks he had come across. Every kid in town (as well as the kids at heart) knew of this. Mainly children and collectors, but basically whomever, came from miles around to sample the new stock. Each mask ranged from the ordinary run-of-the-mill party favors to ones with dazzling magical powers - nothing dangerous of course.

Link was nowhere to be seen, but Mena pushed on, dying to get there before the rush of other children. Just as the Happy Mask Trader's cart became visible, meaning she reached an intersection in the street almost adjacent to her destination, she saw Link as he skidded to a halt, turned around, and waved at her yelling, "I beat you!" She raised her arm to wave back and tripped, falling flat on her stomach.

Ouch!

Mena picked her head up and winced in pain.

Just then a loud rumbling came from her right. Her head turned and -

"Aaahh!" she screamed.

But just before the horse and buggy could trample her, a strong force picked her back up and planted her firmly on her feet.

Link, while fiddling with a mask that resembled a desert fox, gasped when he saw this. As soon as the horse and buggy passed, he sighed as he saw that his best friend was, in fact, all right. A man in a cloak had saved her. Where did he come from? Link did not know. The man wasn't there a second ago was he? Who knows, but there he knelt beside Mena, whispering something into her ear. Link could not quite make out the man's face, for he wore a long, dark, hooded shawl that spread dust around as it moved, dragging on the dirt road. What was he saying? Mena looked at the man out of the corner of her eye, then to Link, and back at the man, who suddenly pulled back, gave her something, and without warning, took off. Mena just stood, bewildered. After a moment, she regained composure and finished her pilgrimage to the mask trader's cart, this time looking both ways before she crossed the street.

"Who was that?" Link asked as he put the mask back on the cart, his eyes never leaving his friend.

"Midunno," Mena replied as she glanced at him then started eyeing up all the masks, trying to decide which one to check out first.

Link's attention never swayed. "Well, what'd he give you?"

"Nothing," she replied in a manner that said 'Just drop it already!' as her eyes never faltered from her new mission.

"I saw him give you something," Link insisted in a way that she would get the hint that he will not give up. "What'd he give you?" Curiosity overwhelmed him.

"He didn't give me anything."

"We at least tell me what he said!"

"Nothing!" This time she turned to look at him, shooting at him a stern 'would-_you_-get-the-hint-and-drop-it!' look and abruptly resumed her prior task, picking up where she left off.

Just as Link was about to let loose a full out rebuttal of 'Why he should know', 'They're best friends', 'Friends tell each other stuff', and what not, the Mask Trader interjected, "You two are here awfully early!"

"You know it!" Link exclaimed as he glanced over at Mena, who paid him no heed, as he joined in and once again pursued fun, all the while trying to shrug off what just happened.

"Wait'll you see the new stock I got! They're mighty fine! Best ones yet!"

"Oooohh…" Mena breathed as she picked one up.

"Excellent choice, Mena! I got that one from a Goron up north, from

Death Mountain. Traded him for the Buzzy Bird Beak," the Mask Trader explained with great delight, his smile at full mast.

"Haha! I liked that one!" Link laughed. "The way it would squawk and flap its wings when you put it on!"

Mena put on the mask and looked around briefly. With a sigh her arms went limp and in a very deep, guttural voice said, "I think this one's broken."

"Hahaha!" the other two laughed.

Link pointed his finger at the object of much comical nature and held his stomach with his free hand while his sides split from top to bottom.

"Aaaahh!" Mean squealed in disbelief as she realized the magic the mask harnessed and ripped it right off. "I sounded like a Goron!" she exclaimed as she took a deep breath, laid the mask back down on the cart, and continued rifling through the others, attempting to act as though her embarrassing act had never occurred.

"Psssttt… Link…" the Mask Trader whispered as he motioned for the boy to secretly join him on the side of the cart opposite from Mena. Link peered out the corner of his eye at Mena, making sure that she was not aware of their sneaky meeting, then slyly walked over. The Mask Trader knelt down and handed Link a mask. "I got this one especially for you."

Link took it and looked it over. He could feel that it was something special.

"Go ahead, try it on."

The mask didn't look anything special. It resembled two eye-enlarging-windows - pieces of glass with a handle that one uses to make tiny things look so much more bigger when one looks through. On the mask, however, what would be considered the handles, were bent and curved to fit around the head and rest on one's ears. When Link put the mask on, which was amazingly a perfect fit, he felt a little let down. Nothing seemed special, not even bigger, in any way. "Nothing looks different."

"It's not what you see," the Trader whispered, "it's what you cannot…"

Link gave him a quizzical look; his eyes appeared much larger than usual when one looks through the mask back at the wearer. This caused the Mask Trader to chuckle slightly.

"Try looking over at the gates that lead to the castle."

Link did as he was told.

Still nothing.

All he saw were the guards standing on either side of the big wooden gate with the steel beams that ran up and down - the same as always.

"I still don't see -"

Just then, the gate began to dissolve until it eventually disappeared, revealing what lay behind it – another set of guards, marching back and forth.

"Whoa…" Link breathed.

"Why don't you use that when you and your friends play candlelight, hm?"

Link, still in awe, looked around then up at the Mask Trader. "Oh… but I don't have any rupees to pay for this or anything to trade -"

The Mask Trader cut him off, "Well, as long as you continue to tell everybody about my products and how great they are, then I'd say we're square."

"Oh, really?" Link gasped as he tried to contain a great smile that beckoned to escape and shine upon his face.

"You betcha."

"Wow! Thanks!"

"What?" Mena asked as she wandered over to join the two boys.

The Mask Trader stood back up. "Just a little industry affair between two fellow businessmen."

Link put a straight face on, turned to Mena, folded his arms, and nodded.

"Oh, you two!" Mena exclaimed, a little dismal from being left out.

"You kids behaving?" a stern voice bellowed from behind them, causing the two children to abruptly whip around.

"Of course, dad!" Link assured as he sighed in relief that he was not in trouble.

"I was just telling them how to become traders as well so they too can pay for dinner once in a while," the Mask Trader grinned at Link's dad.

"Just making sure," dad grinned from atop a beautiful steed.

"That's a really pretty horse," Mena said as she stepped toward it. "Can I pet her?"

"Go right ahead, Mena. Her name's Epona, and she's just reached her first days of real maturing."

Mena pet Epona with her right hand as her eager eyes wandered all over the steed's graceful body. "She's so soft."

Link stepped forward as well and ran his up from Epona's nose. Epona breathed heavily from her nostrils and proceeded to lick Link's hand. Link laughed.

"She seems to be taking quite the liking to you, son," Link's dad said.

Link whistled a few notes and said, "I dub that 'Epona's Song'."

Epona, in response, neighed loudly and elegantly, causing the two children to laugh.

"You be home in time for dinner," Link's dad said to him.

"I know, I know…"

"Well, I have to get Epona back to the ranch before Mr. Lon Lon wonders what I did with her."

"See ya later, dad!"

"Have fun then!" Link's dad waved to the kids then up at the Mask Trader, who responded with his own smile and wave.

Link's dad trotted off with another man following behind. The other man wore a scowl behind a scruffy mustache that almost completely covered his mouth upon his ovular head. That same scowl was aimed straight down at the kids.

"Who was that?" Mena queried as they began to lose sight of Link's dad and follower.

"Oh, that's Mr. Ingo, the other ranch hand below my dad," Link said with a sour face, his every syllable dripped with distain, as he glared back at Ingo until the horses disappeared amidst the crowd. He turned back to Mena and continued, "He's a mean one. My dad says that Ingo is always complaining about everything and threatening the owner of the ranch and stuff."

"You mean Mr. Lon Lon?" Mena queried.

"Yeah… He lets me call him Talon and sometimes he gives me some fresh milk."

Mena was nodding along with Link when just then, children's voices became audible from over the crowd of bustling people.

"I wonder what's going on over there!" Mena exclaimed. "Let's go check it out!" she requested as she took off.

Link turned to run with her but was thwarted by the Mask Trader's hand grabbing his elbow.

"Remember, Link, only use that mask for playing candlelight, alright?" the Trader said with a wink.

"No problem. But," Something just didn't seem right… "How do you know that we're gonna play candlelight tonight?" Link sternly responded.

"Huh… Um…" The Mask Trader fumbled around his words for a second. "You're kids, right? Well, you kids always play candlelight!" A shimmer of sweat shone from his smooth, red-from-the-sun forehead. "Alrighty, then! Now go join your friends, you little rabble-rouser! Have fun with your game! Show 'em who's boss!"

"Haha!" Link said, not sure of how to reply. The Mask Trader can be a bit odd from time to time. Probably just the amount of time he bakes in the sun… "Thanks for the mask again!"

"Twas my pleasure, my boy."

"Bye!" Link waved as he ripped off his new mask and took off to go join back up with Mena.

"Remember our little business deal!" the Happy Mask Trader smiled as he watched Link become another random face among the others then turned back to his cart. "Step right up, ladies and germs! Only the bestest, ripest, freshest masks picked straight from the vine!"

When Link caught up with Mena he joined in with the appalled look on her face. A local gang of older kids, who call themselves the 'Killer Bees', were bullying another young boy, pushing him on the ground and calling him nasty names like -

"Freak!" one of the Killer Bees shouted at the boy.

The one who was the subject of ridicule at this moment in the ever-flowing current of time was the one they called the 'Skull Kid' (on account of a necklace that he wore with a tiny skull on it). He was very skinny, wore tattered clothes and a worn out straw hat. His head was completely smooth, black, and in the shape of a sideways egg. He didn't have the normal features of a face, just a pointed nose, two beady little eyes, and a mouth full of dirty teeth. He used his hat to try and hide all that. No one was completely sure of what species he was… Many of the local children believed that he was part of a native people that live far out in the woods where none of the townsmen go, people called "imps". That was a good enough idea as any. As far as those people go, no one really knew anything about them as well, except for the fact that they kept to themselves. In fact, no one that anyone knew of has ever actually seen one. So who's to say that they actually exist? On the other hand, if they didn't exist, then what about the Skull Kid?

The more the Killer Bees taunted and teased the Skull Kid, the more Link became upset. With each shove and punch, an anger within Link grew.

"Why did they always have to pick on him?" Mena said as she stood and watched, trying to think of something that she could do to stop this once and for all. "It's bad enough they pick on everyone else… They never go to school, and when they do, they give the teacher a hard time…"

"Somebody's gotta do something about this," Link said as he handed his mask to Mena and walked toward the kids. "That's enough!" he yelled as he finished approaching the scuffle. Where was this bravery coming from?

All the Bees quieted as their heads turned to see who attempted to curtail they're idea of a good time. The only sound came from the whimpering of a balled up Skull Kid on the ground.

"Well, looky at what we have 'ere, fellas!" shouted what seemed to be the leader of the pack, who had a hold of the Skull Kid's shirt with one hand, the other in a fist, pulled back and ready to strike. He let go and walked toward Link. "Are you gonna do something about it, shrimp?"

The rest of the gang snickered with devilish grins.

With each two steps the Bees took toward Link, he took one step back until they had him completely surrounded, towering over him like giants over a petty insect.

They all stood, not making a sound, until the leader, without warning, shoved Link backward into the dirt.

Link fell to the ground, hitting hard.

The entire group laughed at Link's misfortune - most of all the leader.

"Why don't you guys just leave us alone! It's bad enough you don't care about yourselves, why do you have to pick on kids littler than you?"

Mena shouted from outside of the circle.

The group, save for Link, turned and laughed even harder.

"You got your girlfriend talking for ya, huh, chump?" the leader snarled. "Grab 'er, boys!"

Mena tried to run but a couple of the Bees grabbed her. She squealed and wriggled herself around like a worm on a hook - baited and ready to be eaten - trying to free herself, but to no avail.

"Let her go!" Link screamed as he jumped to his feet and shoved the leader backward.

The entire posse of Bees 'Ooooooohhhh'd.

The leader walked back up to Link and glared down upon him once again, much more hostile manner this time around. He grabbed Link's shirt and pulled his fist back, just like he was with the Skull Kid when Link saw him just a few minutes ago. "You think you're tougher than me, kid?"

Just as Link squeezed his fingers down into his palm, wrapped his thumb around them, and pulled his freshly formed fist back, a scream emitted from a bunch of people in the marketplace, causing everyone's head to turn in surprise and curiosity.

After a brief moment, that seemed much longer than it was in actuality, the leader scrunched up his eyebrows, pursed his lips, and made his decision, and bellowed, "Come on, gang! Fuhget these twirps! Let's go check it out!"

"Yeah!" they all shouted, let go of Link and Mena, and hurried off.

Mena rushed over to Link, who's face at that point dripped sweat like he had just run a mile, and threw her arms around her new hero. "Thank you for sticking up for me!"

"Don't mention it." Link put his arms around her as well. They stood for a second then Link leaned back and looked into his dear friend's eyes and asked with deep sincerity, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Mena responded.

"Aahh…" Link jolted suddenly as he ripped his arms off his friend and began scratching one of his hands.

"Your hand still itching, or something, really bad?" she inquired genuinely as she brushed a little dust off Link.

"Yeah…" Link replied, quite disgruntled.

After Mena finished dusting Link off, they both locked eyes once again, then shifted their gaze over to the Skull Kid, who still lay in a fetal position on the ground. The two crept up to him then stopped just inches from his curled up body. Link bent over and tapped him on the shoulder.

The Skull Kid squealed and twitched. "Just leave me alone!" he shrieked in a high-pitched tone.

"It's okay, they're gone… You can stand up now," Link assured.

After slowly unraveling, the Skull Kid looked around to make sure that what Link had said was true. Then, with his need for safety satisfied, he snatched up his hat and shot up to his feet, his breath faster than a steed to the water trough after a long day's work.

"Are you alright?" Mena worried.

"I'm fine!" he scolded.

Mena scrunched up her eyebrows and leaned back, looking at Link, who shared her same thoughts: _We just helped you… What's with the bad attitude toward us?_

In an attempt at swaying the mood, and demeanor of the Skull Kid, Link thought it would be nice to invite him to come play with them tonight. "Hey, you wanna come over to my house with us and play c…"

The Skull Kid cut Link off. "I don't need you!" He stuck his long, slinky, dark index finger in his saviors' faces. "I don't need anybody! I just wanna be left alone!" He turned and ran yelling, "They're gonna get it! Just wait and see! They're all gonna get!"

And with that, he disappeared into the crowd and became lost at sea.

THE BEGINNING:

"Zelda and Black Magic"

Later that day, as the sun was setting, Link and Mena sat atop a hill overlooking the town of Hyrule. Link had his new mask on and was staring intently at the castle, which was a decent distance away, while one of his hands itched the back of the other.

"I wonder what it's like in there…" Link mumbled.

"It's nothing great," Mena replied as she randomly picked blades of grass and let them catch in the wind, only to blow away to a new, random location and never return.

"Still… I would like to live like a king for at least one day and do something about those Killer Bees…"

"Yeah, that would be nice…"

"Do you know Princess Zelda well?" Link asked quite absorbedly as he took off his mask and turned to his friend.

"I guess…"

"I hear she's very pretty and stuff. I'd like to meet her one day."

"Well, maybe you'll get your wish," she said as she turned to connect eyes. "Being a princess isn't all it's cracked up to be, you know."

"No, I don't, and I'm glad, too - on account that I'm a guy!"

They both laughed.

Mena turned her head back to her grass picking. Link turned back to the castle.

Together they sat, enjoying the end of another fruitful day of fun and childhood innocence. The sun sat before them then winked its final glance at the beloved kingdom as it sat halfway down the horizon. When two people are close enough, no words need be exchanged nor conversation be held to enjoy the other's company. This was a prime example of just that closeness. A little while passed until -

"Link! Link! Time for dinner!"

"That's my dad… I gotta go…" Link said smugly as he stood up and helped Mena to her feet as well. "You comin' out tonight to play candlelight with us?"

"I want to, but my dad has me doing a couple things," Mena responded, mimicking Link's smugness.

"Well, alright… I guess I'll see ya tomorrow then?" Link asked with a slight gleam in his eye.

"Of course!" Smugness disappeared.

As they made their way down the hill, Link's attention swayed back to a previous engagement. "So, what did that guy in the marketplace give you today?"

Mena eyes widened as she bit her bottom lip then came to a halt. "Oh, that's right! I'm glad you reminded me!" She then proceeded to tear down the hill toward what the kids affectionately called the 'Old Oak Tree', which, although it may sound quite plain, each and every kid in Hyrule knew exactly which one it referred to.

"Wait, where are you going?" Link yelled as he followed closely behind. "What'd he give you!"

When Mena reached the Oak Tree she stopped, panting slightly, under its outstretched, fully leaved arms. "I have to bury this here," she said as she pulled a small drawstring pouch from her pocket.

Link's eyes fixed on the pouch. "What's in it?"

"Never mind that," she said as she bent over and began digging a hole with her hands.

"Why are we doing this? What's in the pouch?" His curiosity overwhelmed him once again.

Mena stopped what she was doing, looked up at Link, her eyebrows pushing down upon her eyes, and slightly scolded, "Are you gonna help me or not?"

"Fine," Link replied, his arms swung gently from side to side, then he bent forward. He knew better than to ask about it one more time.

Once the hole was dug, Mena deposited the pouch in the earth, and they proceeded to fill it back up with the loose soil. After the fissure was filled, she patted the earth and gave it one final gaze before bolting up to her feet, dragging Link up along with her. Although in surprise of how she was dragging him away from the one thing at this present moment in time that held his mind at bay of any other flow of thought and no possible way for an answer, his eyes never wavered from their patch of dirt they had just removed and put back into place.

"Okay, well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then, Link," Mena said, diligently waiting for a response.

"Yeah… without a doubt…" What was in there?

Mena couldn't help but notice Link's ever-growing interest in their latest endeavor, so she gently leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "I'm trusting you not to tell anyone about this or to try and dig it up yourself…"

Link slowly turned his head and looked at her with such a quizzical you've-gotta-be-kidding-me! type look.

She responded with a slight, discerning, yet very serious, nod.

_What was going on with her? She's acting so funny…_

He responded with a nervous, yet very queried nod.

Just then, a mysterious figure, completely wrapped in rags from head to toe - save for the eyes - emerged from a patch of trees a good 30 or 40 feet away. Link had never even heard this person coming. They'd make a good candlelight player, that's for sure.

"Who's that?" Link asked as he pointed his eyes behind Mena, in the direction of the uninvited, foreign party.

Mena only turned her head faintly, not even enough to see whom it was, then explained, "That's Impa, Princess Zelda's caretaker. She also watches after me from time to time, and keeps it secret when I sneak away from the castle."

"Hm…" Link just breathed, not really knowing what to say.

"But, I'm sure that since I was away for quite some time today, that someone's bound to know that I have left…"

Link only squinted at Impa, trying to get a better look at her. She didn't seem to budge an inch, her clothes never even swayed in the light breeze that occasionally blew passed. "Is she Hylian?"

"I'm not sure," Mena responded. "She's very nice though, and takes very good care of the Princess and me."

Again, not really knowing what to say, Link replied with only a, "Well, that's good…" The sight of Impa seemed to make Link very confused, and to lose his train of thought any time one seemed to connect with another to make sense in his mind.

The breeze blew passed his face and with it he swore he heard a woman saying, "Come now, child. We must be going…" A very motherly, caring voice it was, but still very commanding.

"Well, I gotta get going," Mena informed as her eyes locked back onto Link's.

As he stared into those bright blue eyes, he seemed to lose himself. It was a feeling that he had never felt prior. He felt very calm… Very welcomed… Very at home… Yet, at the same time, he felt like, for some strange reason, that he would never see her again.

And with that, Mena tore off down a path, away from Link, toward Impa.

"So I'll see you tomorrow, right?" Link shouted out, not even realizing that he did so. He did realize that his voice was trembling vaguely, but he couldn't help it.

Mena skidded to a stop just before reaching Impa and turned around. Her smile that lit up her face helped to put his mind at ease ever so inadequately, but enough to help take a way a small twinge of pain that he felt emotionally. "Of course! Without a doubt!"

He stood for a brief moment by himself and tried as hard as he could to shrug it off as he watched her turn away like nothing was wrong and leave him. Of course there was no use… He forced himself to trudge home.

"Are you two going to get married some day?" Link's father grinned as Link shut the door behind him.

"Oh, dad! Stop!" Link blushed.

"You know, I do think he's right though…"

"Grandpa, not you too!"

"You two do spend an awful lot of time together," grandfather said as he sat at the dinner table, instigating.

Dad and grandpa chuckled amongst themselves.

"Well, hurry up and sit down before the food gets cold," dad said as he sat plates and other things on the table.

"Hold on one second," Link said as he scurried down the hall back to his room. Once he reached his room he came to a stop right next to his bed and knelt beside it. His childish fingers reached down and pried up a loose floorboard revealing a small aperture dug into the earth. This is where Link kept some of his more treasured possessions. Naturally his new mask was a new addition. After making a satisfyingly fresh deposit he replaced the board and went back out into the living room/dining/kitchen area and sat down at the table.

"Are you ready to enjoy some fresh bread and meat?" dad asked from the head of the table with a twinkle in his eye.

"Whoa! What's the occasion? How'd you afford that?" Link eagerly questioned as he ripped a chunk of bread off of the loaf.

Grandfather chuckled once again.

"Well," dad said with a mouthful, which he then swallowed, "Ingo made a big mess today and Mr. Lon Lon gave me a few extra rupees because I helped clean it up."

"That's Ingo for ya," Link mumbled with a mouthful of meat.

"Indeed it is," grandpa concurred, sitting directly opposite his grandson.

They sat and ate for a while until each had their fill. Link cleared the table and put all the dishes in a big washbasin filled with water.

"So where does Mena's father work again?" dad asked as he looked all over his clothing for loose bits of food that may have been dropped.

"She said he works in the castle or something. I'm not sure exactly what he does."

"Hmmm…" dad said as he sat slouched in his chair.

"So what's this I hear about you getting into a fight in the market place today, Link?" grandfather queried with a suggestive look written all upon his face. "What would your mother think of that if she were still here?"

"We didn't get into a fight…" Link said as he slinked to the table and sat back down. "The Killer Bees were pickin' on the Skull Kid again and I tried to stop them. Then they pushed me and grabbed Mena and stuff…" Link balled up his fists under the table. "That's when someone screamed and… Yeah! What was that all about at the market today?" Changing the subject…

"The same thing you almost got into," dad answered with a strange look on his face. He didn't look at Link when he answered.

"A fight?" Link questioned as he un-balled his hands and sat-up in an attentive stance, ready to drink in all the juicy details.

"Yep."

"But it was no ordinary fight," grandfather said.

Link shifted his weight a little. "How so?" He leaned in closer.

Grandfather, too, grew slightly uneasy and hesitated before he responded. "Because the two that were fighting suddenly vanished."

"Disappeared?" Link's eyes widened as he gave a baffled look.

"Not just disappeared, no… But… Gone…" Grandfather and dad glanced at each other briefly. "Into thin air," grandpa re-iterated, lifting his hands up and twiddling his fingers about as he spoke those five syllables. "I've never heard of such magic in all my years…"

"Wooowww…" Link breathed as his eyes widened even more. "I wanna learn magic."

Grandpa snickered and wiped the strange look from upon his face. "It's not that simple," he said as he stood up, stroking his beard. "You have to be born with it, then you learn how to master it."

"How do you know if you're born with it?" Link wondered.

"Trust me, son, if you're born with it, you know," grandpa replied as he began walking around the table toward Link. "And if you are, it takes a lifetime to master," he said as he patted Link on the shoulder then proceeded to walk down the hallway.

"But why waste your life learning something you're not going to be able to use completely?" Link continued to inquire as his gaze stay fixed on his grand-elder.

Grandfather stopped in the hallway and turned around. "Well, it is said that there is some magic where that does not matter - it can break evil that binds one to this world or a tie that casts you out of it. Others are gifted enough to already have been born with the mastery, but that is only those spoken of in legend. Although…" grandfather hesitated, "… the easiest path to dominance is going the way of the darkness…"

Just then a knock came from the front door, causing Link to jump slightly. "I'll get it!" he announced as he rushed over and opened it. He was greeted by his friends, all of whom brandished lit candles which were easy to see in the sun's now present absence. "Can I go out and play candlelight tonight, dad?" he turned around and said with a very enthusiastic, eager look on his face.

His dad, now hovering over the water basin hesitated while staring at the dirty water, then answered with a stern, "Go ahead, but don't be out too late," without ever looking at Link. "After the commotion in the marketplace earlier, people are all talking and saying things…" A strange, unspoken, oddity hung in the air that reeked of unforgiveness. "Just please be careful…" he said as he turned to look at his son, his face mocking his attitude.

Link, thinking nothing of it, responded with a swift, "I will!" then turned backed to his friends and let them know "I'll be right out!"

"Hurry up, Link!" one of the boys yelled.

"I will! I'll meet you over by the Old Oak Tree!" Link shut the door and hurried back to his room and dove under his bed, retrieving his candle and his new mask. Once he gathered his intended items up, he rushed back to the door, flung it open, and shouted, "Bye, dad!"

And without even hearing a response he slammed the door shut behind him.

THE BEGINNING:

"Sheikah, Candlelight, and the Strangers"

(The Winds Relive the Past)

Link barreled through the yard outside, each step making him more and more anxious about that night's game. By the time he met up with his friends at the pre-determined Tree not far from his house, he was quite out of breath. The group of children basked in the moon's night gaze, the arms of the Tree hovering over them like the loving arms of a mother.

The rules of candlelight were simple:

I. Everyone, minus one person, lays his or her candle at the foot of the Old Oak Tree, unlit. The one person who keeps their candle lit counts to twice his or her age, while covering their eyes and leaning up against the Tree. That person is known as the sentry.

II. The sentry has to guard the tree, all while looking for the others.

III. The goal of the marauders, which is everyone else, is to stealthily hide until the sentry finishes counting, and then make it back to the tree without being tagged.

IV. If a marauder is tagged, they become a new sentry (the next round), while the sentry that originally did the tagging, becomes a marauder (again, the next round).

V. The sentry can tag as many marauders as he/she can within one round.

VI. If a sentry does not tag a marauder, he/she/they remain(s) a sentry.

The game gradually becomes harder when the number of sentries increases. It's game over when only one marauder is left, being the victor.

Before each game the children were keen on mustering and filling each other in on any interesting things that had happened throughout the time between games or spell since they last saw one another. Parents may have their discussions at the dinner table or before bed, but this was the children's way of 'discussing' - or in other words, gossip - of different goings on. Of course a big topic was the 'incident', as it was dubbed, earlier in the marketplace.

"Did you see him?" Link overheard someone say.

"No, what did he look like?" another kid said.

"I heard he had wings!" a third said.

"Nuh-uh! He had magical boots!" a fourth said in contradiction to the third.

"Well, whatever he had," the first child then interrupted, "he looked very familiar… Like someone I know…"

"Who?" a handful of children questioned in unison.

"I'm not sure," the first one said in a very perplexed it's-on-the-tip-of-my-tongue type tone.

As Link stood beneath the strong arms of the old Oak, listening intently at the conversation, his curiosity from earlier returned. Just as he eavesdropped a "Is it true that they kidnapped someone?" a girl around his age glided her way over to him. Her brown dress matched her eyes and her hair, which rested behind her ears and reached her shoulders. "Hi, Link," she said as she giggled.

"Hey, Malon," Link said very politely, his one ear on Malon, the other on the children.

"So, how did you guys enjoy your dinner?" she said as she blushed slightly.

"It was great. Thanks," Link said with a twinkle of gratitude in his eye. Oh, man! The topic of conversation for which he eavesdropped upon evolved into something else…

He tried to retain his pleasant face amidst being quite disheartened not to hear the response to such a provocative question. That was the kind of question that sends a young child's imagination spinning completely out of control. But, alas, his air-faring vessel plummeted to the earth, only to burst into flames and have its ashes carried off to distant lands in the winds…

*sigh*

"Yeah," Malon said as her eyes quickly shifted from Link's whenever she noticed his eyes meeting hers, "Your dad did a great job of cleaning up after Mr. Ingo today…"

"That Ingo…" Link reached his hand to the back of his neck and rubbed it as he tilted his head. "He's such a weirdo!"

They both chuckled.

"Yeah, I know…" Malon said as she held her hands behind her back and swayed to and fro. "My dad was pretty upset about it, but your dad really helped us out. He does a really good job around the farm for us."

"Yeah…" Link said as a small swell of pride welled up within him. "So, uh, do we have you to thank for tonight's dinner?" he asked as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other a bit.

"Me?" Malon seemed to flinch somewhat. "Oh, well, I told my dad about the great job your dad was doing - cleaning up and all - and it was kind of an unspoken thing…" She kicked at the ground a little.

"Oh… wow… thanks…"

"Yeah… Sure… No problem…"

They both stared about the ground for a bit, as if they were looking for a hidden message of sorts until the congregation finally accumulated under the tree.

First thing's first: The rules.

Each and every time they play, they diligently take the time to refresh everyone's memories of the regulations of the game. Therefore, if any single person were to have a qualm, there could be no argument (who were they kidding - they're children!) as to the nature of the problem, if there truly be one. Of course, every now and then, some of the older children like to give the younger ones a good goose here and there, which prompted Neekle, a boy a year or two older than Link, to speak up to the crowd. "And remember! No one is allowed in the Lost Woods unless they wanna come face to face with a ghost!"

This, naturally, ensued with myriads of "Oooohhhh"s from the older crowd to the younger, causing the younger ones to either become a bit flustered (needless to say none of which attempted to hide it) or mock their deriders.

"Yeah, them Poe's 'll getcha!" a boy shouted.

"Well, how do you know if there's one there, it's so dark anyways…" a younger girl responded very skeptically, while all the while trying to outwit someone older than her.

"You see," Neekle cleared his throat, "… a Poe carries a lantern to help guide 'em through this world and into the next." The children all gathered closer. "'Cause a Poe doesn't see light or feel feelings or touch, and only sees everything as darkness… They're hopelessly lost between the light and dark dimensions…" A couple youngens clutched their older siblings. "So if you see a light comin' toward you, you'd better run! Or you'll be floatin' through the darkness trying to find your way home along with 'em…"

Silence hung in the air.

"Boo!"

"AAAAhhh!" a few children screamed as they jumped and turned around, only to find a latecomer. The rest of the group shared a hearty laugh.

"Where you been, Kayle?" Neekle shouted out. "Isn't your brother comin?"

"Nah," Kayle said as he chuckled from his little scare-the-littluns escapade. "He can't come out 'cause he's sick. My parents said it's cuz of the 'evil' air that's been comin down offa the mountain. He wasn't even allowed to go out on one of his normal bug-catching sprees today… Everyone's getting so weird…" He rolled his eyes and made a peculiar face. "Besides," he said, looking at Neekle, "Poes don't roam the Lost woods… They say that if non-forest folk go in there, they'll either be lost for all eternity," he said in a mock-spookish manner, fingers twiddling about in the air, almost like grandpa earlier, "or turn into some kind of monster or Deku or somethin…" His hands came back down. "Pffffttt…"

The mountain Kayle spoke of is a range of rocky hills, network of caves that connect to an assortment of ridges and clearings within the rock-face, and mountains (of course) just north of Hyrule Kingdom, known simply as Death Mountain. The name originally was acquired by a semi-dormant volcano but later became the entire breadth of the span. A peak that juts out toward the entire kingdom, where one could see the forests, deserts - everything - and even as far as the vast oceans that surround its entirety, is called Spectacle Rock. Death Mountain itself is actually quite the misnomer for it is a very inviting territory (unless one comes ill-equipped, which could mean death by landslides or the indigenous life forms with inhabit the territory) which is home to a race called the Gorons, a stone-eating people that are known for their lively music, incredible muscle, and tremendous emphasis on brotherhood. It is said that the clouds surrounding the peak reflect the condition of the mountain. Lately it's been a concoction of peace (normal) and what could only be described as ambiguous despair or lack of prospect or possibility (grayish and somewhat tumultuous).

A bit of unrest was felt throughout the group. It hung in the air like razors, piercing into everyone. Until finally Kayle spoke up, "Link, isn't Mena comin' tonight?"

"What?" Link's mind wandered elsewhere, amidst all that he had experienced in just the passed few hours. "Oh, yeah, um, no, she's not. She had stuff to do in the castle or something."

"Too bad… It must be nice to live in the castle though…"

"Yeah," Neekle corresponded. "I heard Princess Zelda has pro… pro… prosthetic visions in her dreams or something."

"That's prophetic," Kayle corrected in a joking manner.

"What's that mean?" a younger kid asked.

"It means that she can see the future in her dreams," Kayle educated the whippersnapper, with an I'm-your-elder-ish look.

"Pfff, no way," Neekle scoffed as a look of disbelief saturated every expression he made, his syllable also sodden of skepticism.

"I'm serious! My dad told me that! He also said that a Sheikah lives in the castle with them," Kayle said, his arms flailing in a manner that said "You've-gotta-believe-me!" with every quick gesture.

"Now, I heard that too…" Neekle said as he pointed at Kayle, to gesture that Kayle might be on to something, which he then proceeded to, "Buuuuuttt…" in a mock opposing manner. "None of them have been seen or heard of for how long now…"

Again the same child who asked of the definition of "prophetic" inquired as to, "What's a Sheikah?"

The same look came over Kayle's face as he once again instructed the youngster. "A Sheikah's what some people call the 'Shadow Folk', or the shadows of us Hylians." The kid's eyes suddenly became saturated with curiosity - as they should have. "They swore allegiance to the King of Hyrule and guarded the Royal Family for centuries. For generations upon generations they guarded the royal family, but with the long peace that we've had, they've sorta just vanished."

"Wooowww…" the boy breathed.

"My dad did say," Kayle said as he glanced over at Neekle, each syllable dripping with a hint of disdain, "… that one of them did build Kakariko, the next village over, and tried to raise a family there."

Neekle just pursed his lips and flicked his head in an upward motion in the direction of Kayle.

Kids…

"Anyways!" Link interjected, in an effort to get their previous engagement underway before it got too late. Anticipation resides in one who deems himself or herself the eventual champion.

Neekle and Kayle exchanged one quicker glance then let all that was said be in the past. That's what friends do.

With all that out of the way, a game can finally begin - kind of. Normally a lot of playing time gets wasted while one and all attempt to decide whom the first sentry would be.

Not tonight.

Link immediately volunteered, confident in the fact that he possessed a secret weapon - his mask. The game hadn't even begun and everyone had already won - the argument that is. One by one the children put out their candles, not even thinking to question Link's motives, and set them at the foot of the Tree. Link quickly lit his candle off of another boy's, who in turn put his out and joined it with the others on the ground. Malon's face beamed as she waved to Link, who returned a wave and a quaint smile. Boy will they all be surprised… Everyone's expecting what's-his-face to win… But not this time… As Link set is candle firmly upright in the soil, covered his eyes, and leaned against the Tree, the kids all scampered off, each trying to find the best possible hiding spot.

"1... 2... 3... 4..."

The footsteps all faded in the distance.

"5... 6... 7..."

As he counted, recent memories from earlier in the day came flooding back, as if he could feel what caused his curiosity to beckon for retort. Through his fingers he peered at the loose patch of earth beneath him. He could quench his curiosities thirst right then and there. All he had to do was kneel down, pierce his fingers through the soil, and retrieve the pouch… It was that simple… No one would even know…

But _he_ would… Mena trusted him. To betray a friend's trust is to dishonor one's self in an immense degree, which could never be reconciled. So without a second thought about it, he closed the gaps in his fingers and lifted his head back up to what felt parallel to the ground.

"8... 9... 10... 11... 12... 13..."

A cold chill crept up his spine like a thousand spiders slinking toward prey and swallowed the light breeze that blew.

"14... 15... 16..."

The hair on the back of his neck stood at attention as though the cold were their commander. Link paid it no heed, for he was determined to win this night's game. He was so excited. The thrill and anticipation overwhelmed him.

"17... 18... 19... 20... 21..."

He will win.

"22... 23..."

Ready or not…

He took a giant breath and -

"24!" he shouted as he quickly slipped on his mask and swiped up his candle, ready to achieve victory and ruin the streak of seven wins by another boy. Link was not one to have his motives or beliefs swayed or intimidated by past accomplishments or dominance, even if it was seven - _seven_ - victories. Not to mention, consecutively! Adrenaline replaced the anticipation pumping through his veins.

So on he set, to bag those marauders and become one himself. He looked around as he slunk at trees, bushes, barrels - anything that looked to be a suitable hiding place. Each one faded away, revealing what lay behind.

No one…

On he traipsed, his determination fueling his desire to be crowned victor.

Spot after spot yielded no souls.

After growing quite disparaged and much less hopeful -

Alas! His trickery finally began to pay off as big bush beside a house dissolved and let him see a boy and his younger sister behind it. Reclaiming that feeling of a seemingly inevitable triumph, Link slid off his mask, crept up, and "Ha!" tagged them both.

*SLAP* "I got you, Eamon!" *PAT* "I got you Alyssa!"

The two who knelt behind the bush jumped in surprise and turned around. "Oh, man!" Eamon sighed as he and his sister stood up and she kicked the ground in an "Awww, shucks" manner.

Link let out a triumphant "Ha ha!" and he escorted them back to the Old Oak Tree. After arriving, he discovered that the rest of the posse had eluded him completely and made it back to the tree without being nabbed. Doesn't matter… As long he remains uncaught he will be safe… He will be successful in his mission for supremacy. The two captured marauders lit their candle off of Link's.

VII. When there is more than one sentry, they all count up to double the eldest one's age (in this case it would be 22). If the number sentries is equal to or outnumbers the number of marauders, the count is the average of the ages (which is a roundabout figure - the kids don't really derive much pleasure of doing math (read: 'school work') outside of school).

With his candle on the ground amongst the others, signifying him as a new marauder, the new sentries planted themselves to the Tree and covered their eyes.

Link's mind raced, thinking of the perfect place to hide. By the time he realized it, the rest of the gang had took off in search of their concealment, and Eamon and Alyssa were at 13. So without haste Link beat feet.

He came across a set of barrels next to another person's house and quickly, yet quietly, knelt behind them. The anticipation for his self-assigned inexorableness was almost too much to endure. There he sat, his mask removing the barrels before him from his vision so he could clearly see where the sentries were at that present moment.

Oh, the excitement!

_What a sneak I am!_ he giggled to himself, with his hand over his mouth.

He sat for a few minutes, until he caught a glimpse of one of the sentries. He squinted his eyes to try and make out which of the two it was.

Eamon.

He was alone.

That's odd… Eamon and Alyssa normally travel in a pair, but apparently they must have some tactic hidden up their sleeves…

As Link tried to make heads or tails of this new turn of events, Eamon slowly walked toward the barrels all the while trying his hardest to keep as quiet as he could. Silence will always be a virtue…

Link held his breath, his hand still over his mouth from when he giggled.

Eamon stopped just on the other side of the barrels.

Link was ready to rip his heart from his chest for it felt as though it were a thousand drums trying to beat loud enough so the sound would carry up into the heavens, to the gods who kept watch from above, and expose him.

What was Eamon doing? He just stood there…

Link then realized that he had been biting his lower lip so hard, and for so long, that it throbbed.

_Just leave already! You don't know that I'm here!_

Where's Alyssa?

*SNAP*

A noise from nearby made Link's head jerk and peer in the opposite direction from his possible impending capture.

_Are they teaming up? _he thought.

But nothing was there… Hm…

He quickly turned back around to find that Eamon had crept away in the opposite direction.

Link exhaled slowly and quietly in relief.

No sudden slap on the back or loud "Hey, I found you!" came… So what made that noise? Link turned back to the source of the noise. Through the barrels he saw a tree, which, too, began to dissolve, revealing a man in a dark cloak, bent over and walking slowly. Link couldn't quite make out any definite features but he did know one thing for certain: The man from earlier… The one that helped Mena… This time the stranger walked in the direction of town and brandished a sword which he held before him as though he were ready for something… There was a strange luminescence that swathed the stranger.

The chill returned with a vengeance. And with it came a familiar sense of something he hadn't felt in a long time.

Link crawled out from behind the barrels to get a better look at the man - or whatever it was - but could not find him again. On the other hand, though, he did find something else - something that appeared to be a totally different man, this one was riding horseback riding into town. It looked like a man… Yeah, it was a man, all right… But a man that had no –

"Ha ha! Gotcha!" Alyssa squealed in delight as she tagged Link, who at that point had unknowingly risen to his feet and stood at full posture.

His eyes never left that general direction from the unfamiliar, very odd sights that swam through his head, igniting many flames of inquisitiveness.

"Don't worry, buddy, they got us too," another boy said as Eamon and a few other kids walked over.

Link's gaze never faltered.

"Whatcha' looking at, man?" Eamon asked as all the kids looked around, aiming to find the point of major interest.

The chill became colder and so did the feeling that rode in on its back.

Malon rushed over with Link's candle already lit in her hand and gave it to Link, who only reached out his hand and grasped it once it touched his skin as his gaze never faltered from what lay just out of everyone else's ordinary vision. "They got me too… Link?"

He didn't respond.

"Link?"

A steady darkness followed the man on the horse into town.

All the children looked around, trying to catch if only a glimpse of what grasped Link's attention so well, but none of them could see… He wasn't sure if he wanted them to or not. He could tell them. He could keep it a secret. Part of him was so very enamored with the sight, more than anything before that had ever taken hold of his concentration, but the other part of him wished he had never witnessed it. Regardless, one thing was for certain: he couldn't tear his eyes from it and he had no idea why…

The chill was so cold that it felt like he lay in a pool of ice, causing him to shiver, and the feeling that came with it was a feeling that he had hoped he would never have to feel again - loneliness… He hadn't felt that powerful of an emotion - let alone that exact same thing - since…

He finally ripped his eyes from that powerful adhesive, took off his mask, and looked around the group to see if anyone else felt as he did. If they weren't pre-occupied with looking around or talking to someone else, they were all giving him the same baffled look. The emptiness grew within him even more as he realized that no one else could feel it.

Without warning, all the children jumped in unison.

An invisible, numb breeze seemed to blow, extinguishing Link's flame. Why did every child become startled? They each seemed to know before they looked down at their own candles, or at nearby sentries'.

All continued to burn, casting shadows upon surrounding surfaces.

Not even a strand of smoke rose from Link's wick.

"Link?"

No one moved.

"Link?"

It was dad.

"Link!" He had his "dad" tone…

"Yeah?" Link bellowed back, his eyes swimming throughout his sea of thoughts that filled his oceanic head.

"Come on in, son!"

That seemed to snap everyone out of his or her daze. When one parent comings a-calling, others are surely to follow… The antidote for being-a-kid-and-having-fun-itis…

"But, why?" Link whined back.

"'Cause grandpa says a storm's comin!"

All the kids looked around to see if there was any validation to his comment or if there was plausible reason for argument on their behalf.

"But it's just fine out here, dad!"

"Link," dad sure did have his 'father' tone, "Just do as I say and come inside!"

"Fine!" Link scoffed as his arms went limp and swung at his side. "I'm coming!"

How in the world could grandpa possibly know a thing like that? Was his knee acting up again or something? Either way he was to make haste with getting home. So naturally, after saying his goodbyes, he trudged scornfully. With each step, he muttered something contemptuous under his breath, all the while hoping that somehow all his grumbling would, in one way or another, allow him to remain outside for just a little while longer. If not for seeing his friends, then for winning the game! But a father's word is law…

After arriving back home, he stuffed his candle and mask under the loose floorboard beneath his bed, all the while his murmuring remained ongoing. He could still smell his candle even after he replaced the plank - it smelled as though it were still lit.

After he put his things away, dad had him get ready for bed then tucked him in. He and grandpa were very uneasy about something - a little on edge to boot. They wouldn't even light a candle - not for any reason whatsoever. The house was pitch black inside. Could it be because of what he saw?

Who was that cloaked man? Was he definitely the same from the market earlier as previously assumed?

And the man on the horse? If not a man, then what was it?

It looked exactly like a man…

A man missing his head…

THE BEGINNING:

"The Calm Before the Storm"

(The First Drops of Inevitability)

Link opened his eyes and sat up in bed, clutching his teddy bear. The soft, warm fur of a child's stuffed animal acts almost as a pacifier and a devil driver all in one - keeping one calm while, the harder it is squeezed, the farther away the demons are repelled.

Everything was dark. The rain poured down heavily upon the rooftop like a soothing lullaby.

He rubbed his eyes then ran his right hand through his golden hair.

Voices could be heard from down the hall. They sounded angry. No, frightened… He couldn't tell. Curiosity overwhelmed him, causing him to crawl out of bed, sit down on the floor next to his bedroom door, and lean up against the wall in attempt to satisfy this hunger, yet not let it be known that he was awake. Light from a bolt of lighting illuminated his dark room, aiding him on his silent undertaking.

After waking, not only does one's eyes need to adjust, but the ears do as well. It was hard for Link to understand what his parents were saying.

The wood beneath him felt warm, yet cold simultaneously.

Someone paced back and forth in the living room continuously in what seemed in a very upheavaled manner. Every now and then, the footsteps would stop and everything would become quiet. Then, as quickly as they had come to an halt, the clumping of shoes picked right back up where they had previously left off. Each step upon the wood drowned out the voices and made it hard to discern each syllable. Link tried to block out the walking and listen beyond, but it was very difficult. No to mention, the rain hammering from above also added to the vocal-determining obstruction, making it much more difficult.

His room was cold. He quivered for a second as a shiver slithered up his spine like a frostbitten serpent.

*CRACK*

Link jumped ever so slightly and turned his head on impulse toward the window as a giant clap of thunder echoed throughout the valley in which he called home. After a brief moment, he regained whatever clarity he had and focused back on the commotion he previously eavesdropped upon.

He leaned his ear closer to the door.

Bit by bit, Link slowly began putting pieces of whatever he could make out together. From what he gathered, mom and dad were discussing, nay, arguing - or something - about what sounded to be very important. Every now and then grandpa would interject and mom would grow uneasier. He wanted to run out there and not only find out what was going on, but consol his mother in what seemed to be a very trying time for her.

Family meant everything to that young boy.

Mom didn't sob or speak very frantically, but only spoke in short, sporadic phrases. Dad, on the other hand, was quite - although not very - loud and seemed to alternate between asking questions yet making observations or suggestions at the same time. When he was not doing that, dad would try to ease mom with her pain – or whatever - she was wrestling with. Grandpa remained calm and spoke in a smooth, eloquent manner, as he always does. While they were being quite audible, it seemed as though they were attempting to be quiet to a point, probably as to not wake their child from his slumber and alarm him. Of course, when one is emotional, it is hard to keep the volume down at a reasonable level.

Just when things became so intense to a point where Link thought that mom was going to cry, a loud *BANG!* Filled the tiny cottage.

All that could possibly make a sound seemed to drop off the face of the earth. All was dead silent. Not even a breath was audible from the three that once created so much noise.

Link clutched his bear tighter and, after mustering up enough courage, slyly poked his head out of hid bedroom doorway a tiny bit, only to find that the front door lying on the floor and a silhouette of a large, stalky man in the doorway of his home.

And that's when mom screamed…

THE BEGINNING:

"Darkness Descends"

(The Down Pour Ensues)

The shrieks surrounded him and echoed throughout his head, even long after he jolted straight up in bed. Sweat poured from his brow. At five years old, the whole ordeal confused him, and he didn't quite understand it. And now, seven years later, it still boggled his mind. Granted it's still slowly sinking its way in, he'd begun to grasp it more and more as he grew older and wiser. He will never see her again so he kept hold of her memory so tight and retained it ever so closely. Yet, every single night it seemed like, he had to relive that fateful eve like a curse. It was out of his control…

Like the dream, rain beat down heavily over his head. Lightning and thunder still dueled it out. But, unlike the dream, that was not what woke him up.

Next to his bed his father knelt whispering, "Link! Link! Wake up!" Only when lightning flashed could dad be seen. His eyes darted all over the place with his head trying to keep up, as if keeping watch for something.

"Yeah?" Link whispered back, all the while wondering what was going on. Lightning flashed again, making visible that dad was holding a sword. Link's eyes began adjusting to the darkness.

"I need you to do something for me son…" His voice shook.

Link gaped at the sword then back up at his father.

"No matter what happens, I need you to stay put, right here…"

_What?_

"No matter what you may hear or what you may see, I need you to hide under the floor and remain there…"

"Umm…" Link said as he rubbed his eyes. He didn't quite know what to say. _What was going on?_

Dad dropped the sword - which fell and subsequently stood at an angle, leaning up against Link's bed - then grabbed Link's shoulders and stared into his son's eyes, trying to convey a sense of immediacy and significance. In his father's eyes, Link saw a place that he never wanted to leave - a place of peace, happiness, and love. A place of warmth and light.

"Link, please, you must stay here!"

"Okay…"

"Promise me you will stay here!" Dad's eyes seemed as though they were watering up, ready to add to the torrential downpour outside. It was hard for Link to make out any features of his father's face at all in the dead black that covered all that his eyes could see. While he couldn't see perfectly well, he could feel his father's presence before him, along with a plethora of emotions that seemed to flow like a fountain. As his father's hands squeezed Link's shoulders, although not tight enough to inflict any physical pain - not like dad was trying to anyways - Link could feel his heart racing through his palms and fingertips.

This couldn't be good…

"I promise, I promise!" Link exclaimed, but in a much more hushed fashion, for he felt a tension that he could not explain - a tension, which only beckoned him to heed his father's words and to keep quiet.

Just then, grandfather stepped into the doorway. Dad looked up at him, then back to Link. "We have to go." A quick lightning flash made one of dad's eyes twinkle for some odd reason. He leaned in, kissed Link on the forehead, and ran his hand through his son's hair. Another lightning flare showed that the twinkle was now at the top of dad's cheek. Their eyes locked again. By now Link's eyes had adjusted to the darkness much more. Lightning flickered again. The twinkle was halfway down dad's cheek. Dad's hand rested upon Link's smooth cheek, his thumb caressed his only child's skin.

His breath stunk terribly!

Lightning littered through the window again. The twinkle was at the bottom of dad's chin, at the very edge. "I love you, son…" His voice seemed as though it were trying to hide a tremble. "So much…"

And with that, dad snatched up his sword and the two fathers made haste in stealing away into the night, second thoughts thrown to abandon.

Lightning drenched once again. The twinkle lay on the floor. It seemed to have lost it's shimmer, and slowly became soaked up into the floor boards, only to become dirty and to never again see daylight.

All the hairs on the back of Link's neck and arms rose suddenly and became as rigid as a doornail.

The chill from earlier, during his disappointing, yet somewhat stimulating, round of candlelight had returned to conclude its unfulfilled duty. The force at which it struck could not be rivaled by any strength, weight, or other worldly measure.

Behind the rain Link could hear hundreds of voices, many familiar, many unknown. The clashing of steel and the screams of pain all collaborated with one another, which seemed to give the chill a sense of purpose. A steady beating of drums carried in with the wind from a distance toward the peaceful sprawl of Hyrule. Again, the curiosity overwhelmed him, which lead him over to the window. His head slowly rose up to the window and stopped just before his nose got as high as the glass. One hand clutched the teddy bear for security, the clutching the windowsill, pulling him up so he could view the world outside his own, all the while wishing that the sounds outside were all purely imagination. The only times he could see anything clearly was when a flash of lightning lit up the town, and even then it was only for a split second, leaving many empty spaces of answers to either be filled in by his mind or to stack atop another one another. The flashes happened more often than usual, as if the eye of the storm were right upon him. A strange, utterly disturbing storm… Everything he had heard, the lightning helped prove to be accurate.

How could it be this dark?

Outside, hundreds of people were fighting, but not with other normal people, or even the superfluity of races and species that usually littered Hyrule. These were a totally different type of people Link had never laid eyes upon before. Some type of creatures…

Some kind of monsters…

His eyes drank in all that they could at once each time they were offered a sip from the intermittent bursts of luminosity, but never seemed to quench his thirst for resolution. It is arduous for a mind to even begin to fathom all that the latter swallowed piece by piece. This town he lived in - this perfect sanctuary a mother shy of paradise - had from out of the blue been turned into darkness. And with it brought blood, pain, and death. A plague had parasitically invaded all that black clouds hid from the ever-watchful eye of the omnipresent, all-seeing moon.

*SLAM*

Link jolted backward, falling flat on his back and dropping his beloved bear.

With a simultaneous crack of thunder and scream of lightning, a local townsman smacked up against the glass, blood spattering the pane. Link's eyes widened in absolute horror as the townie's hands pressed up against the window, fingers clawing at the transparency, almost in an attempt to get in, but squealed a disgusting squeak as he slowly rubbed the pane, sliding down to the ground.

Link sat petrified. All remained black and void of any discernable images. The chill seemed thrilled to have witnessed this through Link's eyes, oozing a feeling that infinity had been handed a countdown. Link couldn't handle all that had suddenly been thrust before him. As his eyes darted all over, not sure of where they were aimed in the bleak, desolate, obscurity, he forced himself to regain posture and return to the window.

The sounds of the drums were now much louder. They must be moving fast.

His eyes peered through the window once again. The screams and collisions of abhorrence were still present. No sense of visualization could be attained once again until the lightning flashed, as if on cue, and a creature smacked its face up against the window. Link staggered backward without falling this time around. Beady yellow eyes that peered in at him screamed a ravenous inescapability that fed on the damned and all that it deemed undeniable and not yet defined. Snout-like nostrils breathed heavily and quickly upon the glass, fogging it up.

Without thinking, Link swiftly scurried to his bed, fumbling about at the floor as he scrambled to lift up the loose boards.

Fingers did no want to cooperate, as he needed them to so desperately at the moment.

Heart threatened to burst.

Finally!

The floorboards lifted and Link turned around to size up his opposition.

Gone.

Where did he… her… _it_ go?

*SLAM*

The front door!

Link promptly slid into his hiding place and replaced the boards over him. The dirt beneath him was cold and damp. Shaking, he curled up into a ball, his arms hugging his little legs tightly to his beating chest.

Thumping of footsteps that resounded throughout the house let him know that the frightening abomination had entered his room. The thumping slowed. With each step, the creature let out a grunt along with the tapping of its sharp claws protruding from its calloused feet upon the floor.

Link's hands covered his mouth to try and quiet himself from his heavy breathing. His lungs could never quite receive enough oxygen.

The beast stopped.

Link could hear its nostrils breathe in short quick breaths. Could it smell him? The breathing grew louder. It was lowering itself to him.

_Don't let it smell me… Don't let it smell me…_ His fingernails dug into his face that his hands squeezed so firmly.

One of its hands clapped down onto the floor.

_It knows I'm down here!_

One of the floorboards from above his head fumbled about. It, whatever it was, was trying to get down there! A long skinny finger with a sharp nail poked out from underneath the plank.

Link's breathing abruptly stopped as he choked on the life sustaining oxygen. Lungs did want to do their natural duty anymore. Eyes widened, compensating for the lungs' ineptitude.

The drums outside were even louder. The tempo of the steady, rhythmic pounding seemed to slightly increase progressively along with the volume.

The timber slow rose up.

A loud roar-type grunt rang out from the front door.

The brute had fully lifted the slat, revealing itself to Link, whose eyes had become well adjusted to the complete, utter lack of illumination at this point, but, for some anomalous reason, it did not look down upon him. It returned a loud howl and bared its yellowish, clenched, razor sharp teeth as it knelt, looking out Link's bedroom doorway, all the while holding the floorboard up. For what seemed an eternity it sat, until - *SLAM!* - it let go and the wood came crashing back down as the abomination hastily scurried away.

Link let out a well-deserved sigh.

There he sat – waiting: making sure that the coast was clear for his re-emergence. His hands quivered as he pushed the board up and he peeked out into his room.

Empty.

That was his cue.

He hurriedly snatched up his new mask and climbed back out. Knowing full well of what his father had instructed him to do, he proceeded to exit his humble abode.

As soon as stepped foot out his front door he quickly ducked behind a couple bushes just as a handful of creatures came running passed.

Darkness could be felt everywhere as though it had grown tired of its proverbial responsibility as the absence of light and became a physical/mental entity/emotion.

Pain.

His current mission: Avoid being seen by anyone - most importantly these awkward, hideous beasts. Oh, they truly were monsters. Through the eyes of the mask he could see everything. Everything he never wanted to see… And more… Houses aflame. Children crying in the streets. Neighbors, fellow townsfolk - friends that he grew up with and had known his entire life - dying.

_Why?_

The drums continually beat louder.

THU-THUMP…

THU-THUMP…

Link could now see where the beating came from - some of the monsters all marched in perfect uniform, bearing drums, in which they all smacked in faultless unison, never missing a beat. There had to be at least fifty of these drummers alone…

Quickly - and quietly - he scampered around, evading as many of these fiends as he could. His new objective: Find dad. All the killing, bloodshed, and violence did not faze him one bit. Without thinking of how he managed to block it all out - without even realizing - he maintained his task of searching for his father.

The creatures flooded the city like a broken levee. And with them came destruction. In that destruction came death, what seemed to be a complete genocide.

The more Link saw of them, the more he realized that, unlike "normal" people, these monsters lacked any markings or denotations that differed one from the next. All identical. All strong. All fast. All complete with an amazing pain tolerance, persistence, and insatiable bloodlust.

After wandering for about twenty minutes or so, Link knelt behind a huge bush to collect his bearings. His mask filled him in on all that he hid from. Townsmen dropped like flies before him. He wanted do something - anything - to stop this, to end this irrational massacre.

Another man went down.

For every one beast that was slain, two or three common folk fell.

The drums seem to beat right on top of him, mocking the rain. His heartbeat so hard, multiple times the beat of the drumming, yet still on the same beat. It was though the drums followed the conducting of his heart.

Yet another went down.

If only he had the power he would end all this madness! The Killer Bees can wait… This all had to end now! It's just senseless! All this meaningless murder and devastation… Where did it come from? Where did these creatures come from? They all just need to go back! Courage was most definitely not an issue. If only he had the power…

He could see the gate to the castle, smashed to bits. Broken pieces of wood strewn across the dirt road like cheap children's toys intermingling with the fallen bodies of former companions. Metal bars bent and broken like snapped twigs picked up from the ground then tossed aside as if they were nothing.

Another went down.

The screams and wails were deafening. Add in the roars and grunts from the opposing forces and it made for one dreadful fusion. All that aside, he mustn't fail his original intention on which he set out amidst bedlam.

Again, courage notwithstanding, he made up his mind: Enough of all this sneaking around!

He stood up and ambled through all that blew his mind as if it weren't even there. If there were a sea before him, surely it had parted. The driving winds blew his soaking wet locks about as the hammering rain beat upon every inch of him like nails to wood. It was as though the wind were forcing him away from all that lay before him, which he so desperately attempted to reach, and pin him to what lay behind; what lay in the past; where had he ventured from. Every drop of precipitation that collided with his face felt like icicles that raced faster than his voice could reach the heavens, making his face go oh so numb. The farther he trudged the more he his face lost all sense of feeling and the blood in his veins grew thicker and much colder, almost as cold as the chill that reigned supreme, clouding his vision and judgment. His whole body gradually befell the same sensation as his face, as if it had instigated a sort of venerable rivalry.

Just as his body was to give out he caught a glimpse of his father behind a myriad of nameless brutes, laying sprawled out on the ground in a pool of his/other's blood. With all his remaining energy he rushed over to his father's side.

First mom… Now dad… Why?

Link knelt over his dad, his eyes welling with tears. "Dad!"

"Link?" dad coughed as he cringed in pain, his hands clutching his chest. "Link…" he breathed, which sounded faintly like an infant's gurgling. "I thought I told you to - "

"Oh, dad, don't!" Link interjected, as his hands moved all over the place, not sure where to go or what to do.

Dad tried his hardest to crack a smile and ease his son's weary psyche, but that alone caused the tears to stream down Link's face even more.

Link could feel that painful, bloody grin forever etching itself upon his heart from then on. He would never be able to erase that memory…

"You always were the stubborn one…" Dad attempted to jest as he too began to cry. "Just like your mother…"

"I love you, dad…" Link wanted to grab his father and squeeze him oh so tight but doing so would put his father in so much more excruciating pain.

"With all my heart, Link…" He coughed up blood on himself, which promptly washed away in the rain. "Link…" He agonizingly extended his arm, his hand clutching something. Link held out his hand as dad dropped a medallion-type locket on a chain into his palm. This caused dad's arm to give out as he bellowed a bawl of pain. Dad too can be stubborn. Again, his bloody hand painfully stretched out, this time to touch his son's face one last time all the while he grimaced in undyingly, unequalled anguish and torture.

Link moved in closer and sniffled.

"Link…" His voice grew distant. "Remember…" It seemed so far away. "… your…" Please return! "… mother…"

The hand slowly slid down Link's face, smearing it with blood. Link grabbed his parent's hand and held it firmly to his face as he tried to pass what little energy he had left into his father.

"Dad?"

No answer. Dad's eyes said something that seemed so familiar… As if they were crying out -

"Dad?" this time louder.

No response again.

"Dad?" He let the hand drop to the ground and buried his face into his father's chest, the rain mixing with his tears. He pulled back and stared into his father's empty eyes while the mouth below them still grinned ominously. An anger washed over him. This was not going to go unnoticed! He could feel someone - something - looming over him. Slowly he slid the necklace around his collar and, without warning, grabbed the nearest sword that lay on the ground and spun around, thrusting the blade into one of the monsters. It let out an ear-piercing wail and burst into dust, which either was caught in the wind and blew into oblivion or became entangled with the rain and transformed to mud. The sword suddenly began to glow a bright blue light.

With a clap of thunder and burst of lightning, Link gradually rose from his knees to his feet.

He could feel it.

It was strong.

In the now open gate that lead to the castle, a figure stood, it's back turned, a portentous mist shrouding its body. There it stood: a dark silhouette, unmoving, apparently unafflicted by the current nature of carnage and devastation. The rain seemed to plummet right through this mysterious, unknown individual as if he weren't even there.

Link staggered slowly toward him, newly acquired sword dragging and illuminating everything around him. The war drums that still beat so incredibly loud, almost deafening, fueled his rage.

This was war now…

The closer Link progressed the stronger the darkness and hatred appeared to intensify. He somehow knew that this man - this _one_ man - was accountable for every part of this pandemonium and disorder. Link stepped up to the back of the man and brought the glowing steel back.

The man turned around, almost as though he were expecting Link to be there ready to strike him down - to take down the one responsible for this incredible atrocity… For his father's death…

On the contrary, the look on his face said otherwise. He looked first to Link then at the glowing blade pointed at his belly ready to immerse itself firmly into his abdomen. "How?" he said in a low growl.

*STAB*

One quick thrust and the sword entered the man's body.

All the drums and roars of the monsters suddenly came to an abrupt halt, leaving only the sounds of the townsfolk. Even the rain and thunder seem to end all manner of sound. The creatures each turned and looked at Link, their adversaries all stood in awe at the sudden cessation - both taking a quick moment to breathe/rest and to collect their thoughts.

The man fell to his knees, coming face-to-face with Link, who's sword cast a blue glow on the man's face, but could not compete with the dominating red eyes that pierced into Link, who still clutched the sword. Link's hand began to feel unusual again as it did not long previously.

"I _will_ kill you…" the dark man snarled with the most unpleasant look of utter vehemence.

Link yanked the sword out and pulled it back again. His entirety shook viciously in a combination of physical anguish and emotional agony, ferociously enough that he could barely hold the heavy sword still. One peculiar thing struck his brain for an ephemeral instant - the blade, which still blazed it's light blue, showed no blood, no sign of a newly conceived wound.

"Do it, kid…"

Knuckles white on the handle, pulled back, ready to cut the cord, and release. Bring to an end… Avenge…

A smile came over the man's unsightly visage as he grasped his abdomen where Link had lunged the blade. He began to chuckle.

This made all the emotions contained within Link to intensify beyond rationality. He gritted his teeth and swung the sword forward, aiming directly at the man's neck. The blade stopped just before reaching its target. His whole body went completely numb from head to toe. The sword fell from his grasp, the blue light diminishing and vanishing before it made contact with the muddy ground.

The man fell over dead, a smile still besmirching his façade.

Link toppled over as well.

The rain… So cold…

His body writhed in pain. He felt himself slipping away. How? He was not struck down, but down he went…

As he lay in the mud he heard his name being cried out above all the commotion, which had picked back up as if it had never ceased. He had not realized.

Mena…

Link stretched out his arm to her as a handful of beasts carried her away kicking and screaming. Her arms reached out for him and him alone. Her voice grew faint.

"Link!"

He could do anything… He was powerless…

"Mena…"

"Link!" Her exclamation grew more faint -

- along with his, "Mena…"

He wanted to help her. He wanted to save her. He had to…

"Link…" It seemed almost a whisper.

"… mena…" he only had the strength to think to himself.

But she was gone…

Along with himself…

THE BEGINNING:

"Prosthetic Unconsciousness - Brief Detachment Of Reality

(Inadvertently fashioned subconscious fiction?

(derived of conscious recollection?))"

Link stood in the center of town in the early morning. In his left hand he gripped a very reflective shield, which returned the sun's rising rays right back from whence they came. His right hand clutched a sword, which blazed a brilliant blue.

He was all grown up. A strapping young lad. Ready to conquer gods.

All that surrounded him was festive - banners hung, signs amidst the placards, etc. Each and every one of the townsfolk were up quite early and dressed for what seemed a very special occasion. Not a sound was caught so much as whispering throughout the dead, utterly silent, air. Everyone's eyes were collectively locked on the skies above.

What struck Link's eyes paralyzed him with terror.

Each drop of golden sunlight became shadowed by inevitability, sucking all bits of life and light from everything that dared to defy by glistening even the faintest sense of hope. But without hope is to be without expectation of iniquities opposing contradiction. For every inch that became covered in this literal shadow, feet were sucked dry of the prospect of conquest over malevolence.

Where could Link run? He was not one to run.

What could he do? Nothing…

What was the lunacy behind this?

It crept closer.

Men held their women. Children cried. Breaths were held. Tears fell. All was as silent as the heavens. Except for the sound of feet pounding against the ground coming toward him.

Mena…

Her mouth moved but not a single resonance exuded. The closer she came so did the inexorableness. Something about her was different… She wasn't that far away, but she seemed blurry to his vision - her and only her. Link could distinctly tell that it was she and that she was most definitely struggling very much to convey to him something.

A sudden rush of failure - and something else that he couldn't quite rest his finger on - came over him like an inundation.

Mena was about twenty feet away.

Link dropped his sword and shield and reached out for her, beckoning to wrap his arms around her once again and shield her from whatever malice wished her ill.

She was about ten feet away when everything seemed to freeze in time. Everything except for Mena's mouth, which breathed, "Evil descends upon us…"

He opened his mouth to yell to her, but a yank at the back of his shirt pulled him in the opposite direction. His back met with the ground.

When he stood up he was back amidst the pouring rain and death that was his last memory of his blessed homeland.

The owner of the hand that had pulled him away from what drove his curiosity wild revealed them self:

Link.

He stared into his own eyes. The Imposter stared right back; the windows to his soul were cloudy and black. Sometimes a brief moment can seem like eons when one cannot find clarity or elucidation - when something suddenly fashions itself to be the one to interpose upon time and understanding. Such as when the Fraud let loose a sly grin then immediately tackled Link back down to the ground before Link had even begun to regain any train of thought to guide himself around the tracks that his engine once tread upon in the land of bewilderment.

They wrestled around for a moment until all movement ceased with Link on his back and the Attacker on top of him with a sword inches from Link's throat. Link struggled to keep the sword from piercing through his tender flesh, the Other strained for the opposite, all the while his smirk never fading.

Link glanced all over, looking for something to use to his advantage. All he could find was a glowing sword a few yards away. He reached out for it with his left hand knowing full well that he could never reach it. The rain bleached his face, burning his eyes, and infecting his nostrils. His right hand did its utmost to prevent what seemed to be unavoidable. The Counterfeit moved his face in closer to Link's. Link cringed at the stench of His breath. The Reproduction forced all his weight toward the sword, attempting to send it in a specific direction - Link's death. Link reached for the sword that seemed to move further and further from him with every fleeting moment that became past as soon as it arrived. The blade inched closer to his neck.

The Aggressor's face never changed an iota as he proceeded to chuckle in a very deep tone.

Link reached even more.

As he lay inches from death why did he continue to try to attain the unachievable? He had not an answer for himself but he still, as outright preposterous as it was, persisted.

The glacial steel connected with the rubbery upper epidermal layer of his neck.

THE BEGINNING:

"The End of the Beginning"

(The Aftermath)

Before he even opened his eyes, Link could taste the salty sea air, letting him know that he was aboard a seafaring vessel of some sort. The creaking of the wood and the rocking of the ship let him know that there was most likely a motivation in mind, whether it be heading toward a destination or away from obstruction. Regardless, he could still feel the rain stinging his face even though he could tell by footsteps above that he was inside.

Almost as if he was on cue, Grandfather descended a flight of wooden stairs that hung over the mound of hay that Link laid sprawled out upon. "You're finally awake," Grandfather said as he knelt beside his grandson. "You've been out for little over a month now."

"Month?" Link questioned as he groggily sat up and ran his hand through his gold locks. His head throbbed. "What happened?" Everything seemed like a dream. An exceedingly dreadful dream…

"There's no easy way to say this so I will just tell you it as it has become known to the majority, without sparing any element or detail," Grandfather said as he inhaled deeply and shifted his weight a bit. "Ganon - Ganondorf Dragmire - a very malevolent man, has brought with him a darkness to our kingdom of Hyrule. And in that darkness, he brought with him hordes of his demonic followers of not only the foreboding from our dominion but also from his much darker, more wicked realm, all of whom follow him and only him." Link's eyes widened out of curiosity that slowly became eaten alive by apprehension. "Their plan - to enslave the world and swathe it wholly in that very same obscurity that you were unwillingly caught in the middle of, along with the rest of us…" Grandpa's eyes spoke of years of sorrow and when Link gazed into them he saw all the atrocity and madness that loomed overhead.

"But…" Link said, still rubbing his head, trying to force all this forthright talk into his brain so he could make heads-or-tails of it all. "How do you know all this?"

"The only thing that you must dwell upon now, child is what you have done."

Sounds like something that dad would say when Link was in trouble…

Dad…

Link felt an immense swell of sadness engulf him.

Dad…

To add insult to injury, the last memory of his father was of his breath… He could feel his eyes begin to tear up but he fought them the best he could, to hold strong, to not show his emotion. "What'd I do?"

"You, son, struck the architect of this tribulation down."

"I did?" That was not the response Link expected. Not at all…

"Yes, that you did, Link. You sent Ganon away. You sent him back to his dark world. But I fear that he still subsists. Still toiling. Still planning his emancipation. Not entirely dead."

"I don't understand…" Link responded. Grandfather always talked with an intelligence a cut above Link's own.

"He is regaining his strength and forming an even more superior legion of darkness and desolation. An army conceived of the hatred, malice, domination, and utter determination of all those who walk amongst us presently, all those who came before us previously, and all those who will ever grace the entire land - an army to conquer that world in which he originally came… An army to bring about the end of the world… Armageddon…"

Link's eyes enlarged in horror to the point where they were about to swallow the entire ocean on which they sat. "But why?" This was _too_ much…

"Link, just listen to me," grandfather sternly requested. "Things will happen in due time. You will learn all you need when the time is right. You must remember to see passed every illusion, for when you do, it will vanish in an instant."

_What?_

Grandfather continued, "The prophecy has been foretold. Everything has come true thus far. Everything…"

_WHAT?_

"Everything except you…"

"Me? What?" Link's twelve-year-old mind was moving in all sorts of directions, none of which made any sense. "Prophecy?"

"Since the dawn of our time, it has been passed down that an evil will rise to rule us all into a time of eternal darkness and damnation. Dark storm clouds will billow over Hyrule. But it is also said that a ray of light will shoot out, part those very same clouds, and light the ground. That light will then turn into a lone hero that will return order to the world."

Link couldn't take anymore of this. After everything that happened, this was no occasion for bedtime stories. "This is ridiculous," he said as he rolled his eyes. "These are all like the yarns mom used to spin for me…" His father is dead and his father's father was recounting little anecdotes and fables from hundreds of years ago… Link replied with complete cynicism, "And where do I fit in?"

Grandfather resituated himself and gave Link a very unyielding look that said he was not joking. This told Link that, despite all his feelings, which overpowered any sense of judgment in his being, he should bite his tongue and just listen.

The elder continued, "Belief or disbelief rests with you, and I'm quite sure that once you return to that from where you came, you will have no qualms, skepticism, or incredulity." Grandpa always had a way of putting people in their place without being the slightest bit vulgar or demeaning. Then, without transition, he picked up where he originally left off, "Nothing has ever been said of a twelve-year-old boy dispatching the evil. And with the Master Sword nonetheless…"

"Master Sword?" Okay, his curiosity was peeked but that doesn't mean that Link had changed his attitude on the inside. He also made sure that his body language let grandpa know this.

"The Sword of Evil's Bane - forged by the Gods to lock away the evil in his own dark world for all eternity." Grandpa's eyes became perplexed. "How you came across it and were capable of wielding it are a complete mystery…" he said as he stroked his beard and stared blankly off into space. Link could tell he was watching what he said. But why?

"The sword that was glowing? I just picked it up off the ground when I-"

He was quickly cut off, which was probably a good thing, for it brought back every ounce of anguish: The pain of watching his father die, the knowledge that he could not save him, or the fact that he didn't save Mena either - she was carried off along with the last of his happiness. "That's just it, son." Grandfather became slightly agitated, not so much upset but just worked up in general and moved toward Link in tiny increments with every syllable he spoke. "The Master Sword is said to have been sealed away by a select few spirits - sages - who protect it and wait for the time of the prophecy, and - almost as though it just randomly fell from the sky," his fingers twiddled about in the air, gestating his previous phrase,"- it turned up in the middle of Hyrule… _Right beside you_…"

Link took a slight hit from how grandpa pronounced "you" in reference to him.

"It is said that only the one, true hero - the hero of our time - the one chosen by the God's themselves, can wield the sacred blade…"

_I don't get it…_ Too much information to absorb right now… Change the subject, even if it is only just a tiny bit. "But why Hyrule? Why our town?"

Grandfather's face went back to normal and he turned back to his grandson. "Because Hyrule itself holds a great power. It is the epicenter of all we know and don't know. The heart of all we believe and choose to question. It is what keeps the entire world in balance. But Ganon threatens to break that balance and bring forth such disorder that only he can enjoy." Grandpa's face moved in closer to Link's as he whispered in this grandchild's ear, "Listen to me, my boy… Ganon has spies everywhere. Even before he struck our poor town, his minions went unnoticed as they mingled throughout our masses. They have been for an unknown amount of time, and currently are everywhere as we speak…" He leaned back and reclaimed his original tonality. "So mind what you say and think before you act. Do you understand?"

Link only nodded slightly, his heart racing and young mind not able to fathom the horror that has descended upon the world. Illusions? Spies? Armageddon?

Grandfather stood back up.

With a snap Link was out of his daze. He realized that he could latch on to a single thing to keep his overdriven mind at bay for at least a brief moment. For as long as it could take… "But… dad?" His eyes became round and very forlorn.

His response was a pause, deep eye gazing, then a shake of the head.

Link felt a trickle down his cheek. It ran the whole way down and fell to the floor. It contained no such twinkle as he remembered seeing - from what seemed to him to be - not that long ago. All that he knew was gone. His parents. Hyrule. His friends. Everything was either dead, dying, or going to die eventually. Only one thing helped him control his thoughts and emotions - the only thing that was left to do:

"I'm going to kill him…" Link muttered under his breath. "I am going to find him and I am going to kill him…" He _will_ be held accountable and dealt with accordingly…

The senior looked at the medallion that hung from Link's skinny neck then back up to his grandson's young, innocent eyes. "There is nothing I can say that will change your mind, but please just think clearly now, Link. I understand what you are going through for I am going through the same. And I want nothing more than that which you desire, but it is not always the best course of action. At this time we must keep our heads -"

This time Link did the curtailing. "No!" he shouted as he shot up to his feet, nearly stumbling over, for he hadn't been erect in over a month coupled with his throbbing head throwing off his equilibrium. "I'm going to find him -" he shoved his finger into his grandfather's face "- and I'm going to -"

"What's all dat noise from d'ahn 'ere?" a raspy voice bellowed from atop the steps.

The two below quieted. Link dropped his hand from grandpa's face.

"Is 'e up?" the voice asked.

Not a soul said a word. Link just looked at his grandfather with the wrinkled eyebrows of a confused look while his hands hung clenched at his sides.

"'ey! Old man! I said, Is 'e up?"

"Yes…" Grandfather responded with a not-so-hidden hint of disdain and angry look on his face. "He's up…"

"Good! Bring 'em up 'ere!"

Grandpa stared at Link, who had a quizzical look written upon his face, then twitched his head toward the stairs.

"What's going on?" Link asked as he made his way to the flight. He was in no mood…

"I said get up 'ere!" the voice boomed.

Link and his grandfather stared at each other briefly as Link stuck his medallion in his shirt then reluctantly trudged up the steps to meet with the owner of the resounding voice.

"This is Erwin, the first mate," grandpa whispered to Link. Erwin stood before them, a red bandana wrapped over his bald head, tattered and torn brown pants that ended frayed at his knees, and a soiled white shirt were all he wore - ever. He smiled a crooked, toothy grin (which lacked more than one, or two, or three…). From his left ear hung a big gold hoop, which glistened in the sunlight that permeated into the hallway in which all three stood. "Erwin is the Captain's right-hand man," Grandpa said in a regular tone.

"And dat's essatlee who 'untsta see ya," Erwin said, still grinning oh so wily.

Erwin lead them down a hall, passed a few doors, through a couple turns, and out through a big wooden door onto the main deck. The sunlight hurt Link's eyes, for he hadn't opened them in more than just a few hours. This caused him to jolt his head to one side, squint his eyes severely, and raise his hands up to help shield some of the harsh rays that scorched his eyes until they finally re-adjusted and welcomed them back in with open arms.

The entire crew of the ship stood on the deck awaiting the conscious arrival of their new shipmate. Link surveyed the scene. Each of the sailor's hair was mangled - a mix of salty sea air and the burning hours in the blistering sun sang songs of very many days sailing. Some short, some tall. Some wore bandanas around their heads. Some had piercings in their ears. All their clothes were worn and quite homely. Why as he here? Who were these people? One thing was most definitely certain though:

Pirates.

The scum of the earth.

About twenty-or-so of them, all staring at Link with eager eyes, retaining a sense of intimidation. These muscular men towered over this tiny twelve-year-old like a living oxymoron. Link trembled a bit from the sight of the despicable buccaneers. These liars. These thieves. These all-around mean men.

"So…" a low hoarse voice said behind the mass, which caused the sea of men to part, revealing a man with a tattered red jacket and black patch over his left eye. The sounds of the ocean accompanied the man as he walked toward Link. "You're the one they say struck down the Dark Lord?" He stopped before Link and bent over so they were eye-to-eye. "Is that true?"

Link didn't say a word; he only glared at the man.

"Hmm…" The man stood back up and stroked his short, black beard. "I can see in your eyes that you are very stubborn. Very stubborn indeed…"

"How did I get here?" Link interrupted as he gritted his teeth.

The man stretched out his arms, "Us." He lowered them, turned around and slowly began to walk away from Link. "We were in port in Hyrule for the usual - night of drinking, goods, women; whatever makes the men happy. And that's when Ganon came." He stopped then turned back around, about ten feet from Link. "After the worst had subsided, we decided to do what we do best." The men all chuckled. "And that's when we came across you and the old man" His finger pointed at Grandpa. "And, naturally, the question you have is…" his hand gestured in a circular motion waiting for a response.

"Why am I here?" Link muttered, his eyes never leaving the man. Grandpa laid a hand on Link's shoulder.

"We recently had a… well… departure…" Many of the men shuffled their stances in an uneasy manner. "The biggest octo I have ever laid eyes upon attacked us and swallowed our last swabbie whole."

A slight twinge of fear smacked Link in the face, for this is the position he was obviously intended to fill. "Octo?"

Erwin took it upon himself to answer. "Almost like an octuhpuss, but much, much bigger wi' huge yellah eyez all 'roun its 'ead 'n 'ides just buhlow the surface, 'stead of d'ahn in the depths, like a reguhlar octuhpuss." He stood very stern, content with his answer, and the knowledge that he knew more than someone else, albeit a twelve-year-old boy.

"Brought on by the darkness," the man in the red coat added. "And you're now here to take our fateful mate's place.

"Never!" Link interjected. "I'll never be a pirate! You all are scum!"

The deck roared with laugher.

"You don't have a choice," the man contradicted with a devilish grin.

"Never!" Link shouted as he flailed his arms about, causing his medallion to swing out from underneath his shirt.

"Ooohhh…" the mates breathed, their eyes all locked on the glistening trinket that hung from Link's neck.

"Look at dat!" Erwin muttered, his eyes filled with greed.

Link tried to shove it back behind his shirt but Erwin quickly grabbed it and pulled it from Link's hands, causing the clasp on the chain that wrapped around his neck to become unattached. With a taunting manner Erwin dangled it high above Link.

"Gimme that back!" Link shouted as he repeatedly jumped and reached to regain his valued possession. But alas, Erwin held it just out of reach. Link, fed up with Erwin's nonsense, kicked him in the shin, which was only responded by laughter amongst Erwin and the crew.

"Come, come, now, Erwin," the man in the red jacket said mockingly. "At least give the boy a chance to fight for his belonging." How is it that goading can hit even the best of men below the belt and force a reaction so offensively?

Erwin grinned a dirty smirk. This didn't help the situation at all. Escalation within.

One of the crewmembers tossed a sword at Link which landed with a *CLANK* upon the deck at Link's feet. Without delay Link swiped it up and held it before him, his eyes screaming that he was ready to do battle to recover what was rightfully his.

Erwin guffawed as he put the pendant around his neck, fastened the chain tightly, and drew his sword in amusing reprisal. "I won't go eazee on ya, kid…"

The party all spread out, including grandfather.

The two duelers stood, facing one another, swords ready, and then slowly made their way to the center of ship, eyes fused on one another. The band of scallywags cheered and egged on boisterously, their fists pumping in the air. Link knew he didn't stand a chance, but he _had_ to fight. He _had_ to redeem his mother's adornment.

Erwin, toying, swung at Link first with a horizontal swipe. To his astonishment - and Link's as well - it was blocked and retaliated with the same, which also came out thwarted.

"Familiar wit' da sword, eh, boy?" Erwin growled.

"Never used one in my life -" Link answered as he swung again, taking Erwin by surprise as he jumped back and blocked once again.

One by one, they each swung at one another, but not a single blow was landed. The crowd prolonged their raucous cheering and rowdy provoking as the two duelists took their clash over the entire deck of the vessel.

After quite the futile dance, there came a point when Erwin, who had grown ever so impatient - not to mention very angry that his dignity was up for grabs -, sliced down relatively swift and remorseless at Link. This was answered by Link holding his sword above his head perpendicular to the incoming edge, hindering it yet again. Seeing an opening, Erwin took a rather cheap shot at Link - as he had been feeling his pride slipping away for not being able to outdo such a young boy - with a foot straight to the young lad's stomach. Link fell backward, the wind - whatever little was left - knocked out of him. He stared up at Erwin who laughed and teased him. The sweat pouring down his face stung his eyes, but he shoved the pain aside as he had been doing with his aching muscles thus far.

"Yer weak, boy…" Erwin said as he held the medallion away from his neck for all to see, taunting Link. "A weak son fruhm weak parents 'o dowt."

Without thinking, almost as if some invisible force were driving him and giving him an unexpected billow of vigor, Link flung himself to his feet. Startled, Erwin dropped the medallion back to his chest and readied his sword, with an affronting, yet nervous look swathing his countenance. Link swung over and over at a speed that he had never encompassed previously. With each blocked blow Erwin inched backward in a very confused and bewildered state, which also snowballed with each opposition he feebly executed. This continued up to the point when Link finally parried Erwin's sword out of his hands up into the air and kicked Erwin in his gut. With the swiftness of an eagle's wings Link spun around while catching the falling sword behind his back and finished the revolution by taking Erwin's legs out from underneath him with the recently acquired blade. Erwin fell flat on his back. The entire crowd instantaneously hushed as a sudden mystification befell the entire swaying deck. One sword was stuck under the defeater's chin, pointed at his neck, the other rose up, spun in Link's hand, and came crashing down.

A terrified look remained on Erwin's face as the blade stuck in the deck, wiggling to and fro while making the sound that resembled that of a spoon hanging out of someone's mouth and being flicked. The sound of victory slowly died and came to complete, silent halt. With the point still digging into the fallen's neck, Link bent forward and ripped the medallion from Erwin's neck with a "This was my mother's" under his breath then tossed the sword to the deck beside him.

He felt weak. Very weak. Tired. Exhausted. Like he hadn't slept in days and had been doing exceedingly grueling physical labor for hours upon hours.

The crowd gaped in awe, not making a sound.

Link collapsed to his knees, his lungs gasping for sustenance.

Grandfather rushed to Link's aid. "Are you alright, Link?"

"Yeah…" Link continued panting. "Just a little tired…" What an understatement…

"Well done, little man. Well done indeed," the red-coated man said as he clapped and walked toward Link. "Courage. Emotion. Dedication. Dignity. Decency. Duty." He stopped before Link and pointed at Erwin who still lay on the deck, quivering slightly, and no doubt reasonably spooked. "Somebody get him up," he commanded, which the open air, obeying his unsaid order, sent to all the ears that littered the general vicinity.

A few of the crewmembers rushed over to Erwin. As they were helping him back to his feet he pushed them all away and lunged at Link. "I'm gonna kill you, kid! Mark mah wordz - "

'Ol red coat interjected while calmly stepping between Erwin and his intention, "I do believe it was _he_," - pointed at Link - "who spared _your_ life," - shoved his finger into Erwin's chest, knocking him back a couple steps. A few of the pirates chuckled. "And if I'm not mistaken, _you_ are in debt to _him_." A solemn silence hung in the air. Erwin's face looked as though it were made of jelly, as one could tell ever so obviously that he were trying oh so desperately to counter with something extremely clever and disparaging. "Alrighty then, mate…" the man finally spoke up. "Nothing to add? No apology said?"

A slight pause for an answer.

"Then we are through…" This man spoke in a very calm and composed manner. Very serene indeed. That is until he shouted at Erwin, with an attitude that changed in the drop of a hat, "Now get out of my sight!" There definitely are two sides to every edge… And two edges to every face… But only one face for every man… Is that so?

Erwin lingered for a moment then stormed off, pushing passed fellow crewmen - the same who had recently lent him a brotherly-helping hand.

Perfect time -

- Link snatched the sword from the floor and swung it at the man in the red coat's legs but was foiled by the man's sword, which came out of nowhere and parried Link's out of his hands, tossing it aside casually and knocking Link off balance. Immediately, as Link sat, bent over on his hands and knees, the man knelt down and again lowered his eyes to Link's and said in a very tranquil, welcoming voice, "And I am Captain Christos McBlack." The Captain stood back up. "Welcome aboard."


End file.
